A day after the MLB Rangers celebrated a landslide victory in the campaign for a new ballpark, the team "wants to move quickly on constructing the new retractable-roof venue" in time for the '20 season, according to Loyd Brumfield of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Rangers Exec VP/Business Operations Rob Matwick said, "That gives us three more years in Globe Life Park. ... There's enough time to get the building designed and built." However, Brumfield notes there is "precedent for a midseason opening, and the Rangers still have Globe Life Park to play in if construction falls behind schedule." The Mariners "opened Safeco Field just after the All-Star break" in '99. Matwick said that hiring an architect is the "next step, followed early next year with the choice of a general contractor." Renderings of the new ballpark and Texas Live! entertainment complex "were designed by Populous." Dallas-based HKS "designed Globe Life Park and also contributed $25,000" to the pro-ballpark campaign. Construction is "expected to begin by next summer" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/10).
YOU'VE GOT MAIL: In Ft. Worth, Robert Cadwallader in a front-page piece notes the ballot initiative "lost in just five of the city’s 137 voting precincts." The margin of victory "surpassed" what AT&T Stadium got in '04, but "fell short" of the majority seen in '91 to fund Globe Life Park. Meanwhile, a new Rangers website that went up yesterday "asks for help creating 'an atmosphere that is welcoming to fans and intimidating to opponents.'” It seeks ways to "'improve your travel and parking experience' and asks fans to tell the favorite part of their experience at Globe Life Park, as well as desirable features at other ballparks they have visited." Fans can also rate the importance of equipping the ballpark with "state-of-the-art technology, access to group hospitality areas, architectural style, pre-game meeting space and other features." Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said, "It shows you the character of the Rangers ownership to be seeking fan input" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 11/10).
